Forget the Past, Ignore the Future
by MaryLilaWest
Summary: This is a fic about what happens Ptolemy's Gate, involving those leftover crossover djinn and bonds that will not be broken. Hoping it will be satisfying and exciting. B/K also some slight N/K and Ptolemy/Bart. Rated for safety!
1. The Summons

**Here, I give you, my first Bartimaeus Trilogy Fanfiction, and my first full-blown chapterfic. **

**I'm not sure I have a solid plot completely decided upon, but I have a basic idea. This rather short **

**chapter is just a simple beginning. I promise it will get exciting soon! I'm hoping to sum up **

**and give a satisfying ending to the aftermath of Ptolemy's Gate.R&R, and thanks for reading!**

I nearly groaned. Well, that is, if I had not been a bit of essence floating about with every single other spirit in The Other Place and had actually been able to groan, I would have. But honestly, when I felt the gentle but persistent pulling at my essence, I had a very strong desire to lash out and bite something. Again, the small problem of my having no definitive shape prevented this desire, but that was certainly not the point! I had just saved an entire country of pathetic humans from being destroyed by rampaging demons, and what do I get? A summons, barely any time at all from the great deed. I had expected at least a bit of recuperation, healing in the Other Place, some R&R, you know, the whole shebang. But no. The great Bartimaeus could have no rest, according to these persistent magicians.

For as long as I was able, I resisted, attempting to firmly ground my essence in the Other Place*1. In my irritability, I was not going to let my master summon the kind, gentle Bartimaeus that I usually was*2. No, he was getting the fierce 5,000 year old djinni who had helped destroy a great golem, steal the Amulet of Samarkand, and rescued millions of little humans from their doom. I blinked, then scowled as I realized that I was unconsciously putting my most recent adventures with the boy at the top of my "Bartimaeus's Greatest Accomplishments" list.

I pushed all of these thoughts to a different level of my mind and concentrated upon my guise. I was definitely leaning toward something frightening and flashy. Something that would scare this magician out of his pants and send him crying to his mummy*3. I quickly selected a huge devil, particularly muscular and wide, with blood-red skin, half-meter long twisting black horns, flaming eye sockets, and smoking nostrils. Just before I appeared, I added a spiked tail, and gave off a scent of sulfurous brimstone to add to the overall hideousness.

I appeared inside a basic pentacle.

Then nearly collapsed upon the floor in shock as I looked upon the face of my summoner.

**o..o**

*1. A bit of a paradox, yes. But hey, I do my best for you people.

*2. ...What? Are you suggesting that I am _not_ usully kind and gentle? Such rubbish.

*3. A bit on the hopeful side, I'll admit.


	2. A Reunion

**Another short chapter, just to introduce the characters and such :)**

**Thanks for reading, and please review!**

As I looked at the girl's familiar face, I slipped easily into the form of Ptolemy, replacing the scent of rotten eggs with one of lavender and honeysuckle. I had no desire to frighten off this girl. For she meant the world to me.

I looked into the deep brown eyes of Kitty Jones. Momentarily the old fire in them was present. Then her expression morphed and melted. She looked so relieved I thought she would faint.

"Bartimaeus..." was the only word she got out before collapsing in her pentacle, sobs shuddering her slight form. Without a second thought, I walked to her, and took the girl who shared a bond with me unlike any human on earth*1 in my arms. For a moment I simply sat there, awkwardly, thinking what a normal human would do in a situation like this. Tentatively, I stroked her dark hair and made general noises of comfort*2. As I sat, I thought.

Thought number one: I had been able to step from my pentacle without incident. This realization gave me an immense sense of satisfaction. _Ah, I see Kitty_..._Your trust in me has not faded yet. _I felt hugely proud.

Thought number two: Kitty had changed much since she had visited the Other Place. Indeed, her hair was once again dark (I guessed at a rather fine sample of hair-dye) and her face much less lined. My hypothesis had been correct, Kitty had not spent enough time out of her body to cause permanent damage. All that was left were a few laugh lines, and well as a slightly creased, worried brow.

Thought number three: why had the girl summoned me? There can't have been anything serious going on so soon after the Demon Revolt*3, and I didn't see Kitty as much of the political type anyway*4. So, what was the reason? I admit, I had a hunch, and it had to do with a certain dark-haired, self-sacrificing boy, but I would wait and see what Kitty had to say about it.

There were a few more minutes of Kitty's sobbing, and I was starting to become massively uncomfortable. The human species is made almost entirely of earth, and is is difficult to be in such close proximity with one for too long. Indeed, the odd affair of demons being able to possess humans without pain had quite puzzled him. But ,finally, Kitty quieted her cries, and pulled away from me, much to my relief. For a minute, she just looked at me with the most bizarre little smile on her face, then she threw her arms around my neck. I actually managed to groan this time.

Kitty pulled away, and actually had the gall to look annoyed.

"What is this?" she insisted, her old fire returned to her*5. "I summon you back here for a bit of a chat, and after all that I went through two months ago you are going to be angry with me?" her lip wobbled, and I thought she was going to collapse again. "I went through _hell_. You can't possibly imagine...thinking that you and Nathaniel were dead...my only friends that I really had..." Her face suddenly turned stone-hard. "But then, Nathaniel really is dead...isn't he?" I did not answer. My silence was all the answer in the world.

Kitty turned away from me then. I heard a slight sniffling and respectively looked down. In truth, my mind was reeling. So is this why she had summoned me? Just to check that I was still alive? And to hear of Nathaniel's fate with utter certainty. Of course. I had been right. Kitty simply needed closure.

But still, that didn't seem like Kitty. I mean, I had guessed that she had some affections (if not something much stronger) towards the boy*6, but it just didn't seem to fit. Even with the added bonus of our newly found bond, Kitty didn't seem the type to summon me just for some reassurance. She was too strong for that. Something had to be wrong.

"Kitty?" I asked gently, trying to prod her from her crying with as much gentleness as possible, "My friend, why did you summon me?"

**o..o**

*1. Except one, of course. But he was thousands of years gone, sacrificing himself to save me. Much like another human I had recently come to know...my, these bond things are getting a bit overwhelming.

*2. For all I knew, I could have sounded like I had an awful case of indigestion.

*3. Wholly untrue. The worst things generally happen after such weakening events.

*4. Again, false. She had, after all, been a part of a certain organization known as the Resistance. Honestly, I was just trying to cling to some hope I wouldn't actually have to _do_ anything. What can I say, I'm lazy.

*5. I actually rather preferred this. The uncharacteristically weepy Kitty unnerved me.

*6. Certainly the boy felt very passionately towards her. God, the experience in his head had been painful. Young men are rather single-minded, eh?


End file.
